


Kindness

by darkling2222



Category: Watchmen (Comic), Watchmen - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, Fluff, Gen, Just a little story, Other, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 21:56:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11541210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkling2222/pseuds/darkling2222
Summary: Walter hadn't seen very much kindness in his life





	Kindness

Excuse me, ma'am?" It's a voice Walter doesn't recognize and it sounds markedly different from any he usually hears. He opens his door to see what's going on and there's a young girl standing at the door across the hall. There's a rustle of noise from inside the apartment and the door opens a crack, chain lock still up.

"What, what do you need?" an impatient voice answered from the slat of door. He can't see her from this angle but he knows by voice that it's his landlady, the nasty old women with the pack of children always screaming at her heels.

"I'm with St.-" The woman cuts her off sharply.

"I'm not interested."

"Please, I'm here St. Gabriel's and I was wondering if you needed any assistance? We offer childcare and food assistance and-"

"Not interested!" Now the words came as a yell from behind the door.

The door slams hard in her face and the girl stares at it a moment, hurt and blinking in the aftermath for a moment. But she breathes in a deep sigh and clasps her hands together. She sets her face with a kind of resigned resilience, this hadn't worked but she still had to go on and keep trying. She steps back from the door and onto the stairway landing, her long black skirt swings around her ankles. She stops a moment to straighten her prim button-down, brown hair cut at her chin and tucked behind her ears. She looks conspicuously clean and put-together for the dark and grime, her cotton shirt shining bright white in the dim.

"You can't help them." She nearly jumps out of her skin at the sudden sound of his voice.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" She looks him over, ratty green coat, bright red hair, his doomsday sign propped up on his shoulder.

"You can't help them." His voice is flat, no expression on his face. She sighs again, looking back sadly to the door that had slammed in her face but she doesn't seem to waver.

"Perhaps, but there are children there and they need help. It's important to at least try." He stares at her with dark eyes, no apparent change in expression. "My name is Emma, what's yours?"

"Walter." She smiles, her voice is quiet and gentle.

"It's nice to meet you, Walter." He nods stiffly in answer. Emma shuffles through her purse and pulls out a business card. He catches a small print of a dove on it, it's probably for a soup kitchen or social work office. She pulls out a pen and scrawls a phone number on the back of it in loopy black ink. "If you need anything, please call this number." He takes the number slowly and she touches his hand, holding her slender fingers against his gnarled knuckles for a moment. He knows that this little girl can't help him anymore then she can help the women across the hall but Emma is offering the kindness that she can. She gives him what little warmth and touch that can be given. She is at least trying which is more then can be said about most people.

He nods again, tucking the card into his pocket. "Thank you." He answers and Emma smiles again and she steps back from his door and back to the stairs. He watches her leave, bobbed hair shining in a slat of sunlight for a moment before she turns out of the building. He hopes she doesn't come back, he hopes she stays out of this place and places like it. This isn't a world that is safe for kind people.

But he still carries her card in his coat when he's on patrol as Rorschach. Just in case he needs anything.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry that this isn't very interesting, I thought of it and it happened XD


End file.
